Royal Caribbean Cruisers -- How Are Things Where You Are? (was "Routine" ​ 😁 ​day in lockdown... how was yours?)

[Ocean Boy]

2 hours ago, sgmn said:

Ouch ! Have you tried putting the treats at the back of the carrier, perhaps she'll go in on her own accord , or a line of small treats leading into the carrier ?

Interesting idea. Might give that a try. She seems to be very aware of her environment though. Anything that is new, or moved, in the house gets her attention. She might be very aware of where those treats are leading.

[sgmn]

On 8/3/2023 at 6:12 PM, dani negreanu said:

We've been busy the last few days, helping DS2 and his family with their move to Amsterdam. They landed there this morning, for the next 2 weeks, with an option for another 2 weeks in a sub-let of an Israeli couple, who are visiting family here. 

 

The biggest issue, which it seems the young couple was not aware of, is finding a suitable rental. The demand far surpasses the supply, and I fear that they'll move from sub-let to sub-let for quite some time 😢.

 

Debbie @Sunshine3601 hopefully your friend had a successful op, and I wish her many more years of quality living.

 

Mark @h20skibum wishing you and family to continue with your fantastic vacation. When I've first seen the pic of your hotel, I said to myself: "it reminds me of Portofino".... Sure enough, after a few posts, turns out that's indeed its name 😉 "Marked" for future reference should we be fortunate enough to bring our grandkids there. Seems an awesome place.

 

Crystal @singinalot, wishing you and Nate an enjoyable stay in "my neighborhood" 😉

 

Arzeena @Arzeena and Deb @Momof3gurlz -- enjoy your vacations to the fullest.

 

OB @Ocean Boy -- Jade is so adorable, hopefully she will "redeem" herself 😘

 

Hope your son and family settle in quickly and find a nice place to live.  Will his company help at all?

Will be nice for you to have a European springboard to explore various parts of Europe, especially western/northern parts. 

[sgmn]

On 8/3/2023 at 7:24 PM, Luckynana said:

Awesome!!

You've been having quite a bit of heavy rain the past two days, along with cooler weather.  It must feel like 
Fall is on it's way, Graham.    

I hope your weather gets better in the next day for you and Pauline.

Have a great day!!

The weather's been awful for July and now into August. I feel for all the kids on holiday and outdoor events taking place.

This is the end of the Pride event in Brighton today. A city which probably has the biggest pride events in the country after London . Very wet and windy 

 

We had planned to go out on the River with friends today but that has been postponed to later in August due to rain and strong winds. Our BBQ party last weekend was held indoors 

BUT the weather is meant to get better from next week, fingers crossed 🤞 

[Biker19]

1 minute ago, sgmn said:

The weather's been awful for July and now into August.

And people wonder why RCI doesn't home port an O class there.

[sgmn]

On 8/3/2023 at 9:40 PM, Jimbo said:

Just viewed my  SetSail Pass on the Royal App, I see after Diamond Plus, it has listed Choice. Any idea what Choice means?

I think it's the entry level of the Casino loyalty club

[sgmn]

On 8/3/2023 at 11:54 PM, Sunshine3601 said:

Update on my neighbor friend.   Her Daughter phoned me late last night and said things didn't go well.     They had her in the operating room and were unable to do the procedure that she needs.    She was very vague with details as she was exhausted and emotionally drained from the day.    She said her Mom is in the ICU and she cannot believe how weak and helpless she looks.   She was unsure what the next plan is going to be.    She is a waiting for her Brother to arrive from out of state today.   

So sorry to hear  😔 

[bobmacliberty]

10 hours ago, Momof3gurlz said:

Would you mind sharing the full recipe for your Mai Tai?  I seem to remember you talking about trying to recreate the ones you had in Hawaii (maybe from your review?).  

 

I use two different Mai Tai recipes, depending on the mood that I'm in and whether or not Micheline is joining me.  The original Trader Vic recipe is a little easier to make (if you have the ingredients) but is not what I've seen typically served in Hawaii.  The Hawaiian versions have evolved over time to include more fruit juices, since many people prefer that sweeter taste. Micheline does not like the original version so if I'm making a drink for both of us, it's the more modern version.

 

For the original version, I follow this recipe:

Trader Vic Mai Tai Cocktail Recipe (allrecipes.com)

The 17 year old J. Wray & Nephew Jamaican rum is no longer available so I use Appleton Estate instead.  Any Jamaican rum would work so it you're into rums, experiment.  I use 1/4 oz of simple syrup rather than the rock candy syrup just to give it a touch of sweetness.  

 

It was the more modern version that I did a lot of experimenting to get the juices to match what I remember from Hawaii.  I'll usually make a batch of PPOG juice (pineapple, passion fruit, orange, guava) so that it's easy to create and serve several drinks.  I then add the rest of the ingredients right before serving.

PPOG Juice:

2 oz passionfruit juice

1.5 oz guava juice

1 oz orange juice

1 oz pineapple juice

 

The Goya brand of passion fruit and guava are available in stores near me.  You can also order from Amazon.  Mix the PPOG juice with 0.5 oz Orgeat syrup and 1.5 oz Jamaican rum in a cocktail shaker with crushed ice and shake well..about 15 seconds.  Dump pour into a tiki glass.  Add a 0.5 oz dark rum floater on top (I just use Myer's) to give it the layered look.  Garnish with a lime wedge and fresh mint.

 

Enjoy!

[grapau27]

[sgmn]

16 minutes ago, Biker19 said:

And people wonder why RCI doesn't home port an O class there.

Not me, I'm happy with Anthem, though I haven't been on a RC cruise from Southampton for a few years. 

It's OK once you're a day into the cruise heading for the Med or Canaries. And if going north you know the weather's going to be effy.  Half our cruises are cool weather cruises

[A&L_Ont]

14 hours ago, Ozark_Kid said:

We just hit the Cincinnati area and passed the stadiums 🏟.   Got here at a bad time.  Added an hour to driving. 

 

Traffic at the bridge narrowing I bet. I hit Cincinnati headed south once at 4:30pm. Ugh. An hour added for me too. 

[Ocean Boy]

22 minutes ago, bobmacliberty said:

 

I use two different Mai Tai recipes, depending on the mood that I'm in and whether or not Micheline is joining me.  The original Trader Vic recipe is a little easier to make (if you have the ingredients) but is not what I've seen typically served in Hawaii.  The Hawaiian versions have evolved over time to include more fruit juices, since many people prefer that sweeter taste. Micheline does not like the original version so if I'm making a drink for both of us, it's the more modern version.

 

For the original version, I follow this recipe:

Trader Vic Mai Tai Cocktail Recipe (allrecipes.com)

The 17 year old J. Wray & Nephew Jamaican rum is no longer available so I use Appleton Estate instead.  Any Jamaican rum would work so it you're into rums, experiment.  I use 1/4 oz of simple syrup rather than the rock candy syrup just to give it a touch of sweetness.  

 

It was the more modern version that I did a lot of experimenting to get the juices to match what I remember from Hawaii.  I'll usually make a batch of PPOG juice (pineapple, passion fruit, orange, guava) so that it's easy to create and serve several drinks.  I then add the rest of the ingredients right before serving.

PPOG Juice:

2 oz passionfruit juice

1.5 oz guava juice

1 oz orange juice

1 oz pineapple juice

 

The Goya brand of passion fruit and guava are available in stores near me.  You can also order from Amazon.  Mix the PPOG juice with 0.5 oz Orgeat syrup and 1.5 oz Jamaican rum in a cocktail shaker with crushed ice and shake well..about 15 seconds.  Dump pour into a tiki glass.  Add a 0.5 oz dark rum floater on top (I just use Myer's) to give it the layered look.  Garnish with a lime wedge and fresh mint.

 

Enjoy!

Seems much easier to book a cruise and make friends with a bartender.

[mets07]

Just off Oasis of the Seas (July 28 - August 4). Hope all of you are well.

 

This was a very different cruise for us as we went with our older son and 3 of his children ages 6, 4, and 2. We came home quite exhausted. Ha. But we all had a good time. 

 

My husband and I typically do a bit of lounging around and there was none of that! Constant activity ... pools, slides, rock-climbing, mini-golf, ice skating, carousel, Aqua 80 and Frozen in Time shows ... and more. 

 

It was definitely the most crowded cruise we were ever on with almost 6700 guests. 

 

We went to the beach (Cocoa Beach) at Port Canaveral and Blue Lagoon at Nassau. Other stop was Coco Cay. Weather was good, but hot as expected.

 

Best to all of you.

 

🏖️ 🚢 

 

 

 

 

[Jimbo]

26 minutes ago, mets07 said:

Just off Oasis of the Seas (July 28 - August 4). Hope all of you are well.

 

This was a very different cruise for us as we went with our older son and 3 of his children ages 6, 4, and 2. We came home quite exhausted. Ha. But we all had a good time. 

 

My husband and I typically do a bit of lounging around and there was none of that! Constant activity ... pools, slides, rock-climbing, mini-golf, ice skating, carousel, Aqua 80 and Frozen in Time shows ... and more. 

 

It was definitely the most crowded cruise we were ever on with almost 6700 guests. 

 

We went to the beach (Cocoa Beach) at Port Canaveral and Blue Lagoon at Nassau. Other stop was Coco Cay. Weather was good, but hot as expected.

 

Best to all of you.

 

🏖️ 🚢 

 

 

 

 

Perfect time for a vacation  to relieve yourself from the NY Mets Season. Towel has been thrown in. 😉

[Sea Dog]

15 hours ago, bobmacliberty said:

All of this talk about how nobody here really drinks alcohol has made me thirsty.  I was by our closest Total Wine, which is about 45 minutes away, and stopped in to shop.  They have Pierre Ferrand Dry Curacao which I can't find near me, so I picked up a bottle for the original version of a Mai Tai (rum, curacao, lime juice, orgeat syrup...no other fruit juices).  I was in the mood for the original version and made one today for happy hour.  Very tasty, but it didn't last long.

 

I also made some homemade demerara simple syrup which I used for my second happy hour cocktail...a daiquiri using a twist on the classic recipe...which is just light rum, lime juice, and sugar served up in a chilled coupe glass (i.e. not frozen and no other flavors added).  I did however modify the true classic recipe by using Jamaican rum (Appleton Estate 8 year) and semi-rich demerara syrup.  Very different from a classic daiquiri but really nice if you like Jamaican rum.  I used the Anders Erickson recipe.

 

Once the Daiquiri is gone (sipping it right now), we're off to make homemade pesto to serve over pasta.  Yum.

 

12 hours ago, Momof3gurlz said:

Would you mind sharing the full recipe for your Mai Tai?  I seem to remember you talking about trying to recreate the ones you had in Hawaii (maybe from your review?).  

 

1 hour ago, bobmacliberty said:

 

I use two different Mai Tai recipes, depending on the mood that I'm in and whether or not Micheline is joining me.  The original Trader Vic recipe is a little easier to make (if you have the ingredients) but is not what I've seen typically served in Hawaii.  The Hawaiian versions have evolved over time to include more fruit juices, since many people prefer that sweeter taste. Micheline does not like the original version so if I'm making a drink for both of us, it's the more modern version.

 

For the original version, I follow this recipe:

Trader Vic Mai Tai Cocktail Recipe (allrecipes.com)

The 17 year old J. Wray & Nephew Jamaican rum is no longer available so I use Appleton Estate instead.  Any Jamaican rum would work so it you're into rums, experiment.  I use 1/4 oz of simple syrup rather than the rock candy syrup just to give it a touch of sweetness.  

 

It was the more modern version that I did a lot of experimenting to get the juices to match what I remember from Hawaii.  I'll usually make a batch of PPOG juice (pineapple, passion fruit, orange, guava) so that it's easy to create and serve several drinks.  I then add the rest of the ingredients right before serving.

PPOG Juice:

2 oz passionfruit juice

1.5 oz guava juice

1 oz orange juice

1 oz pineapple juice

 

The Goya brand of passion fruit and guava are available in stores near me.  You can also order from Amazon.  Mix the PPOG juice with 0.5 oz Orgeat syrup and 1.5 oz Jamaican rum in a cocktail shaker with crushed ice and shake well..about 15 seconds.  Dump pour into a tiki glass.  Add a 0.5 oz dark rum floater on top (I just use Myer's) to give it the layered look.  Garnish with a lime wedge and fresh mint.

 

Enjoy!

Those are some great recipes. I’m a big fan of Appleton Estate. I have experimented with several recipes. I really like this one.

Ultimate Mai Tai Recipe
½ oz Appleton Estate Rare Casks Aged 12 Years
½ oz Smith & Cross Traditional Jamaica Rum
½ oz Plantation OFTD
½ oz Plantation Xaymaca 
1 oz Lime Juice
½ oz Orgeat (Latitude 29)
½ oz Orange Curacao (Ferrand Dry Curacao)
¼ oz Demerara Syrup (BG Reynolds)
Garnish with mint sprig and spent lime shell
 

The Smith and Cross is a really great funky Jamaican rum. It really changes the complexity of the cocktail. Let me know what you think? Proud of you for making your own syrups. I need to make a Demerara. So far I’ve been using BG Reynolds’s.

[mets07]

10 minutes ago, Jimbo said:

Perfect time for a vacation  to relieve yourself from the NY Mets Season. Towel has been thrown in. 😉

At least the owner shows he definitely makes business decisions! 😉

 

PS We are also booked for the Greenland cruise. Should be interesting. Wish there were a few more excursions. 

[Jimbo]

2 minutes ago, mets07 said:

At least the owner shows he definitely makes business decisions! 😉

 

PS We are also booked for the Greenland cruise. Should be interesting. Wish there were a few more excursions. 

Cool !  I assume that is on Jewel this year right?

 

We only have 2 excursions booked for the 3 ports in Greenland.

 

Nuuk............... the Fiord Safari Boat Tour

 

Qaqortoq.... the Town Walk

 

Nanortalik..........we are just going to walk around on our own. 

[dani negreanu]

2 hours ago, sgmn said:

Hope your son and family settle in quickly and find a nice place to live.  Will his company help at all?

 

Thanks, Sue.

 

Sadly, they traveled independently, with 4 bags and on their own dime... whereas we were sent to Brussels by a multi-national company, all expenses paid, a big container with all our belongings and a zero-mile company car from day 1.

 

DS2 is providing, part-time, legal services to his old law firm, while pursuing his doctorate in law. The original plan was to travel next year, and do his post-doctorate in Holland. The "situation" here being what it is, my DIL wanted to spare the kids another round, or two, of hostilities.

 

 

2 hours ago, sgmn said:

Will be nice for you to have a European springboard to explore various parts of Europe, especially western/northern parts. 

 

For sure ... thinking mainly of the ferry to Newcastle ( @grapau27 ) , or visiting a lovely couple in Berkshire 😉 😘

 

[A&L_Ont]

Another weekend another tourney.  This time a 4 team local one to determine who goes to Provincials.
 

It’s a double loss knockout tournament. First game was a win, last night. Next game is today at 12:30.
 

If we win we play tomorrow morning in the finals. If we lose, we play again 30 minutes after that game ends.  If they lose they are done, and if they win they play tomorrow in the finals. 

 

[grapau27]

5 minutes ago, dani negreanu said:

 

Thanks, Sue.

 

Sadly, they traveled independently, with 4 bags and on their own dime... whereas we were sent to Brussels by a multi-national company, all expenses paid, a big container with all our belongings and a zero-mile company car from day 1.

 

DS2 is providing, part-time, legal services to his old law firm, while pursuing his doctorate in law. The original plan was to travel next year, and do his post-doctorate in Holland. The "situation" here being what it is, my DIL wanted to spare the kids another round, or two, of hostilities.

 

 

 

For sure ... thinking mainly of the ferry to Newcastle ( @grapau27 ) , or visiting a lovely couple in Berkshire 😉 😘

 

DFDS do daily ferries between Ijmuiden (Amsterdam)- Newcastle.

It is an overnight sailing of 275 miles.

Sailing usually at 5pm and arriving at 9am next morning.

If you ever decide to come and we are at home we would be honoured to pick you up at Tyne Dock Newcastle and be your hosts for the day.

 

 

 

[mets07]

1 hour ago, Jimbo said:

Cool !  I assume that is on Jewel this year right?

 

We only have 2 excursions booked for the 3 ports in Greenland.

 

Nuuk............... the Fiord Safari Boat Tour

 

Qaqortoq.... the Town Walk

 

Nanortalik..........we are just going to walk around on our own. 

Yes. Same Jewel cruise.  We have only one Greenland excursion booked... the hiking one in Nuuk.

 

[h20skibum]

This is not a lighthouse, nor is it a lighthouse cookie. 
 

 

Or, maybe it is. 

[lenquixote66]

TSOTD is from the Ron Jon Surf Shop in Cocoa Beach,Fla.I never surfed but I liked the shirt when I bought it many years ago.

[h20skibum]

News from the home front about our golfing grandson.  I forgot to mention that his team won all of their golf scrambles. 
 

Yesterday, he was in a golf tournament, and placed first in the 14 and under group (he is still 10 for the next month and a half)

 

I looked at the scores, and he shot lower than everyone in the 17 and under also, including all the girls grouping.  It was only a 9 hole tournament, but his 31 was outstanding.  

[bobmacliberty]

2 hours ago, Sea Dog said:

Proud of you for making your own syrups. I need to make a Demerara. So far I’ve been using BG Reynolds’s.

 

Very easy and doesn't take long.  I went with a semi-rich syrup which is 1.5 cups sugar in 1 cup water.  Normal is 1:1 and rich is 2:1. Stir over medium heat (don't boil) until the sugar is dissolved.  Remove from heat and cool.  I put the hot sauce pan on a larger pot that had ice in the bottom to cool faster.  Transfer to a sealed bottle and refrigerate.  The whole process took less than 10 minutes.

 

The good and bad about homemade syrups is that they have no preservatives.  Better for you, but they don't last as long.  The Demerara syrup will only last a few weeks.  Increasing the amount of sugar, or even adding a small amount of vodka, will extend the life.  

[bobmacliberty]

2 minutes ago, h20skibum said:

News from the home front about our golfing grandson.  I forgot to mention that his team won all of their golf scrambles. 
 

Yesterday, he was in a golf tournament, and placed first in the 14 and under group (he is still 10 for the next month and a half)

 

I looked at the scores, and he shot lower than everyone in the 17 and under also, including all the girls grouping.  It was only a 9 hole tournament, but his 31 was outstanding.  

 

I think I've said this before but it's great that he's getting into golf at such a young age.  And playing as well as he is, beating kids much older, is fantastic and must be tremendous for building self-confidence.  Golf is a really good lifelong sport.  I was just reading about a guy who is 98, plays 3 days a week, and regularly shoots better than his age...usually by at least 10 strokes. 😲